First Opener and First King on Board!

Monday, May 21, 18

Anchored last night on the NE side of Magoun Island in a little cove by ourselves. We broke out our newest kitchen tool - the new Instant Pot per our friend Lisa’s suggestion.  We made a pork tenderloin with potatoes and brussel sprouts in less than 30 minutes!

The wind gusted up to 40 knots and we were really swinging on the hook! There were deer on shore and we saw a weasel of some kind - maybe a mink or a martin? The fish opening was delayed until tomorrow here and the wind and rain continue today with a gale warning so we are not leaving the anchorage. We spent the day here prepping for tomorrows opening. I polished brass spoon lures for kings and sewed upholstery to fit our cushion Doug had cut down in Skagway to give us more sitting room. Doug pumped bow water and checked the engine and generator. Rain and wind finally slowed down around 4 and we had a much quieter night at anchor.

Tuesday, May 22, 18

First King on board

First day of fishing! Up at 5am, anchor up, coffee and a run to Salisbury Sound back thru Neve Strait. We had gear in the water around 6. No fish in Salisbury for us today : ( but saw our first otter and 2 more grizzlies cruising the beach for greens. The day started out windy and rainy but became partly cloudy. Late afternoon Doug decided to run to Sitka Sound to see if we could find any kings there.

First king on board! Caught just before 7pm in Sitka Sound. Doug says about 12 lbs. First day of my piloting Pacific Son –still learning the nuances of avoiding kelp and staying at a good depth for the gear (running at 20 fathoms today). We anchored in Sitka Harbor around 8pm. The first of many long days (13 hours of fishing) to come!

Wednesday, May 23, 18

Troller in front of Mt Edgecumbe in Sitka Sound

Today dawned mostly clear and sunny even though the forecast had been for a week of rain. Mt Edgecumbe (a volcano) towers over the fishing grounds of Sitka Sound. There are several otters and whales in the area.  The otters are so cute floating around on their backs and rolling around in the waves!  Kind seas all day - but no fish. There were lots of trollers crossing every which way, which meant I got a lot more practice at the helm.

It was a beautiful day but long and frustrating by the end without any bites = tempers get short. It’s not going to be all sunshine and whales.

Thursday, May 24, 18

Overcast and rain today. Trolled around the Sound from dawn until mid-afternoon with no bites. The fish are just not here yet in good numbers. The average catch is still only 1 – 2 fish per boat across the fleet (if you can believe the reported numbers) on these 3 day openers. This time of year Alaska only allows us to fish a few “inside” water areas and the fish are mostly still in outside waters until summer. Today is the last day of this week's opening so headed into town to sell ours to Sitka Sound Seafood. The one we sold was 11 pounds, current price is over $12 per pound so we got a nice price for just 1 fish but boy I wish we could catch a lot more of those! Praying for more fish to come in before next week's opener!

Forecast calls for rain and wind the next few days so we will tie up at the harbor. If the weather improves we may head out to explore more little coves, etc. before next week’s opening. If the winds stay up we will remain in town at the dock. Perfect opportunity for me to set up this blog and fill everyone in on how this adventure is going!